The Influence of Marxism upon the Trump Movement

Abstract This article uncovers the surprising and highly counter-intuitive influence of Marxism upon the Trump movement. This influence stems from James Burnham’s synthesis of Marxist and elite theory, which has been transmitted to the populist wing of the Republican party by way of paleoconservative and neo-reactionary theorists. This article demonstrates this by offering the most extensive literature review of elite theory thus far. In the course of mapping the development of elite theory, the path of Marxist influence upon the Trump wing of the Republican party will be traced. By the conclusion of the article, it will be demonstrated that some of the policies of the second Trump administration are profoundly influenced by these theories.